Cracks in Marvel's armor are beginning to show after a decade of unprecedented success

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has experienced some speed bumps.

They aren't enough to stop the biggest movie franchise of all time, which has made over $25 billion across 29 movies. Disney's presentation at San Diego Comic-Con over the weekend gave a lot of hope for its future.

It has been difficult to ignore the cracks in the armor of the superhero. The last few movies, apart from "Spider-Man: No Way Home", have been met with a low response from the audience.

• "Eternals" received a B grade from CinemaScore, a company that surveys audiences in theaters on a movie's opening night. It's the lowest grade in the franchise's history.
• "Eternals" made $402 million worldwide, a disappointing figure for most big-budget movies today and especially for an MCU movie (granted, theatrical attendance was still sluggish in November, 2021).
• This year's two releases, "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" and "Thor: Love and Thunder," both received B+ grades, the second-worst scores. Every other MCU movie has gotten an A- or higher.

"Doctor Strange" and "Love andThunder" did better at the box office than others. Without China, the latter has made $600 million worldwide in two weeks, which puts it on a similar track as its predecessor.

CinemaScore grades don't tell the whole story, and as long as the franchise continues to make money, it's impossible to count it out.

It shows some level of audience exasperation that the MCU hasn't had to deal with since it was launched. With at least a dozen movies and TV shows coming out in the next three years, the franchise has a chance to become fatigued.

Quality could be just as important as quantity.

Marvel Studios

Critics say the MCU has lacked direction since 'Avengers: Endgame'

The first person to point out the current state of the MCU is me. Some of the worst reviews of the franchise have been given to those movies. The MCU has felt directionless after a decade of stories, according to some people.

David Ehrlich wrote that the movie confronted the "aimlessness" of the post-"Endgame" MCU.

A recent episode of The Ringer's "Big Picture" was called "Five Ways to Fix the Avenger Crisis." Matt Belloni asked if there was a quality problem with the comic book company.

There are Disney TV shows. It's difficult to gauge their success because Disney doesn't release ratings. Third-party data gives a glimpse.

The data shows that each of the series had a growth trajectory and then a decline in engagement. The shows have been a hit with Disney+'s existing subscribers, but haven't gone far in attracting new fans and increasing the subscriber base.

Marvel Studios

Watching the MCU could be like reading comics

It defiantly came out swinging at its Comic-Con panel if it had been paying attention to any criticisms.

The post-"Endgame" "multiverse Saga" will conclude with the release of two new "Avengers" movies.

The first trailer for Black Panther was viewed 172 million times. There's still a lot of power over the audience.

The MCU is getting closer and closer to being a true comics universe on the screen, as an avid comic reader. Until last year, there were a few movies a year that ended in an event film.

For the foreseeable future, there will be a few movies and TV shows a year. "Loki" and "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" are two of the grander ambitions of the franchise. It might not factor into it all that much, if at all.

It is time for fans to watch superheros like they read them.

Audiences might gravitate towards their favorite characters or the buzziest titles as the franchise grows.